"Don't think of going past."
Two Root Ninja stood in front of Ayane, forming a barricade with their bodies, preventing Ayane from getting through.
"It's really troublesome. If the intelligence leaks, it'll be a bit of a headache."
Ayane took a deep breath, and the veins next to her Byakugan pulsed viciously.
— The fleeing Root Ninja darted through the forest, unconcerned with the battle behind him, needing only to complete his mission.
For the members of Root, death is but an everyday occurrence.
They are machines who have long discarded everything, willing to live and die for the village.
So, he felt no guilt for leaving his comrades behind to escape.
It's only to complete the task given to them by that lord.
And this task concerns Konoha's interests.
Knowing that all these sacrifices are meaningful, the four of them appeared here without hesitation.
"With this, the range exceeds five kilometers, even for the Byakugan..."
"Sorry, your intelligence cannot be sent back."
A sudden voice came from the side. The Root Ninja was startled, and as he turned his head to look, his body suffered a huge impact.
It was an attack of the Gentle Fist.
His body flew out like a projectile, crashing into and breaking a large tree, collapsing into a crater, coughing up a large amount of blood, and experiencing intense pain.
His internal organs had suffered irreparable damage, and he knew he was doomed, even if Tsunade, one of the Sannin, was present, she couldn't treat such severe injuries.
Ayane walked up to him as he struggled on the ground for a moment. Even if he wanted to take weapons out of the Ninja Tool Bag to fight, with his internal organs damaged to this extent, he lacked the strength to lift any weapons, and could only die in agony.
If he had died outright in the beginning, perhaps he wouldn't have had to endure such pain.
But it indirectly proved these Root Ninja's strong will.
An ordinary ninja, suffering such a blow, would likely die instantly upon being hit, rather than struggling painfully for a while before dying.
◎
In an unremarkable tent at the Konoha Camp.
Danzo and other Root Ninja gathered here, with one Root Ninja wearing a mask seated in the center of the tent, hands sealing, chakra running at a terrifying pace, sweat continually seeping from his forehead.
He was performing some ninja technique.
Unaware of how much time had passed, his eyes suddenly opened, releasing the sealing gesture, signifying the end of the ninja technique.
"How was it?"
Danzo stepped forward and asked the Root Ninja.
Under Danzo's questioning, the ninja organized his thoughts, clearly conveying what he had seen:
"Total battle duration was two minutes and twenty-seven seconds. Byakugan's observation range is a radius of ten kilometers, capable of releasing pupil techniques similar to Spiritual Shock, slightly weaker in power compared to Lord Tsunade, but surpassing average Taijutsu Jonin in speed. The destructive power of the Gentle Fist is extremely strong; getting hit means it's over. If unable to match the opponent's combat rhythm in speed and power, close combat is not recommended."
The ninja reported with precision as if he personally experienced the battle.
"No wonder it's the Secret Technique of the Yamanaka Clan. Now we can use this intelligence to formulate targeted strategies."
Another Root Ninja spoke.
"A Byakugan that can observe a radius of ten kilometers is simply unheard of."
"Precisely because of this, such threats must be eliminated as soon as possible."
The Root Ninja were already filled with murderous intent.
Danzo nodded indifferently and said, "If there's no problem, we'll depart in an hour."
Leaving this simple statement, Danzo walked directly out of the tent, his gaze mixed with an icy coldness.
"Yes, Lord Danzo."